One who subverts convention or orthodoxy or varies from social conformity in order to reveal spiritual or moral truth: a gek. Throughout history different societies have used different approaches and followed different guidelines for interpreting Divine providence. Some approaches have brought people closer to God and truth while many have led people into deeper darkness, plunging succeeding generations into ignorance and apostasy.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

" I had to re-examine my feelings toward the (Confederate) flag when I read a newspaper article about an elderly black man whose ancestor worked with the Confederate forces. The man spoke with pride about his family member's contribution to the cause and was photographed with the (Confederate) flag draped over his lap. That's why I now have no definite stand on just what the flag symbolizes, because it no longer is their history, or my history, but our history." Terri Williams, a Black journalist for the Suffolk "Virginia Pilot" newspaper. ..."Amen!!!" PoP

by Tim Westphal:As far back as the American Revolution, African Americans have fought in every conflict this country has been engaged in. A number of authors have studied the participation which blacks played for the Union and Confederate governments during the Civil War. Most of these writers have focused on the Union army since it employed a large number of blacks as soldiers during the conflict. "When authors do cover the Confederate side, they usually limit their coverage to the free blacks of New Orleans who formed a regiment of "Native Guards" for the Louisiana militia and the Confederate effort late in the war to employ slaves as soldiers" [2]. Civil War historians have not given these blacks their due recognition, and have left the truth of their involvement for the Confederacy covered in obscurity and confusion.

As many as 90,000 blacks, slave and free, were employed in some capacity by the Confederate army. The majority of these men fall into two categories, as military laborers or body servants. The fact that some Southern blacks might have played an important role for the South is a very controversial issue. Scholars have avoided the difficult task of linking any blacks to the Southern war effort. One of the main reasons they choose not to attempt this is because they are afraid of confronting the great paradox that exists. Why would any slaves or free blacks work towards a Southern victory when this war was seen as one to sustain blacks' enslavement and degradation?

"It has been estimated that over 65,000 Southern blacks were in the Confederate ranks. Over 13,000 of these, "saw the elephant" also known as meeting the enemy in combat. These Black Confederates included both slave and free. The Confederate Congress did not approve blacks to be officially enlisted as soldiers (except as musicians), until late in the war. But in the ranks it was a different story. Many Confederate officers did not obey the mandates of politicians, they frequently enlisted blacks with the simple criteria, "Will you fight?" Historian Ervin Jordan, explains that "biracial units" were frequently organized "by local Confederate and State militia Commanders in response to immediate threats in the form of Union raids". Dr. Leonard Haynes, a African-American professor at Southern University, stated, "When you eliminate the black Confederate soldier, you've eliminated the history of the South."

3 Comments:

There are many points in the timeline of American history that we could consider as the emergence of U.S. fascism. But the so-called “Civil War” era began a quantum leap to unfettered power. Although “the Civil War was fought over slavery” is the programming installed at the public indoctrination centers we attended during childhood, the real story behind that conflict suggests other causes.

The northern states wanted to impose taxes on imported agricultural equipment which was used in the primarily agrarian south. The southern states preferred to buy European equipment that was less expensive than the equipment manufactured in the industrial north.

The contest reached a constitutional crisis when the southern states walked out of Congress and began a secession from the union because the northern states wanted to exercise powers in excess of the Constitution's authority.

President Lincoln began to unshackle the federalists from the chains of the Constitution by issuing Executive Orders. This included ordering a draft to fill the ranks of the Union army and calling a Union-only Congress into session. The draft was not popular, nor was his war.

The fascist Lincoln suppressed the protests of the draft in the north by meeting protesters with federal troops. A thousand New Yorkers were killed or wounded when protesting the draft for “Lincoln's War.”

The southern “Rebels” attempted to stop the northern “Union” from rebelling against the Constitution, but the federal fascists prevailed in America's bloodiest conflict and began the “Reconstruction Era.” The federalists now had their chance to usher in unfettered federalism. With the money powers of the north and the Industrial Revolution in full swing, private and public interests merged.

After reconstruction, the corporate state was further enriched by the land and resources acquired by westward expansion and the “belligerent nationalism” imposed on the west's native peoples.

The thing that is common to Communism, Fascism and Socialism is Totalitarianism. The belief that only government can exert a moral control over a country. Our Republic was founded by those who had a legitimate fear of an overly powerful central government. Things were going along well until the Fascist Lincoln destroyed the Republic, murdered 2 percent of the population and seized the power that was supposed to be reserved to the states and the people. We have been marching steadily in the direction of complete Federal control of all aspects of our lives ever since.

I am not a fan of either the Socialist Democrats or the semi-fascist Republicans. Neither represents the sort of freedoms that our founders hoped would endure.